computer for editing thats under 1,000

[lvt]

I am trying to buy a good computer for video editing, the standard stuff they sell at stores doesnt get the job done, and while I am certain the stuff at these large chains that cost over 1,000 could get the job done I don't quite have the money to spend that much.

Can anyone tell me of a good computer for computer editing, whenever i just buy a basic manufactured computer from a store it never has enough memory or power or something to really get the job done. and i am not just talking like it takes a long time to render stuff I mean the end result when I burn the DVD it always turns out jumpy, its not jumpy on the demonstration on the computer but when I burn it it is always crappy, I have tried this out on a few different machines, all of which were store bought and were under 1,000 dollars. if anyone can recommend anything to me I would appreciate it a lot, while I do have a pretty solid understanding of computers I am not quite informed enough to know what is required in a really solid editing system.

 

[AgentJonnyB]

Try this at Tigerdirect.com:
XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - OEM, Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Processor 2.66GHz OEM = $300

OCZ Dual Channel 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 800Mhz Vista Performance Edition (2 x 2048MB) = $36 for 4gb, or you could get another pack and have 8GB for $72

XFX GeForce 9800 GT Video Card - FREE Call of Duty 4 PC Game, 512MB GDDR3, PCI Express 2.0, (2) Dual Link DVI, HDTV, VGA Support = $115

Ultra M923 ATX Black Full Tower Case = $90

PC Power & Cooling / Silencer / 750-Watt / Quad PCI-Express / SATA-Ready / Red Power Supply = $80

Pretty much any brand dvd burner = $30

So far this totals about $690

I don;t know what size HDD you'd want but...Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 1TB Hard Drive - 7200RPM, 32MB, SATA-300, OEM = $110

Acer 22" monitor should be less than $180

I would recommend Vista 64-bit, as I have been running it on a computer of somewhat lesser specs than what I laid out for you, and it works awesome, but if you're running Adobe CS3 or CS4, I wonder if maybe the windows 7 beta might work fine, I've been hearing great things about it, and that the final product would be released by July (hope this is true) before beta is over.

Either way, break the hard drive into seperate partitions so you can reinstall OS's without losing projects--install to the OS to say an 80GB partition, saving enough room in their for the programs, and then the seperate partitions are for all footage and project files. I'd actually recommend 2 80GB partitions so you can dual boot and switch between the beta and the OS you decide to buy (or already have).

Has anyone been playing with Windows 7 beta yet?

 

[WideShot]

I am trying to buy a good computer for video editing, the standard stuff they sell at stores doesnt get the job done, and while I am certain the stuff at these large chains that cost over 1,000 could get the job done I don't quite have the money to spend that much.

Can anyone tell me of a good computer for computer editing, whenever i just buy a basic manufactured computer from a store it never has enough memory or power or something to really get the job done. and i am not just talking like it takes a long time to render stuff I mean the end result when I burn the DVD it always turns out jumpy, its not jumpy on the demonstration on the computer but when I burn it it is always crappy, I have tried this out on a few different machines, all of which were store bought and were under 1,000 dollars. if anyone can recommend anything to me I would appreciate it a lot, while I do have a pretty solid understanding of computers I am not quite informed enough to know what is required in a really solid editing system.

Its not just about buying a system, its about understanding the software and settings. Each aspect requires some very in depth details.

ANY modern computer should be able to put out as flawless of a render and DVD as any other. It just takes a lot longer on slower computers.

The reasons are simple: using the correct settings, every non linear editor, compressor, re-compressor, and burner, goes frame by frame, bit by bit, ensuring no hiccups. The old days of buffer underrun CD's are long gone, as everything is buffered and double buffered.

Its also about understanding the players themselves. Some people just don't understand how limited DVD players are in general. There's only a few settings that actually work on most DVD players. But if you screw these up, it may show up fine on your computer (which is much more flexible), but then play incorrectly (or skip) on the player.

One of the most common mistakes when burning a video DVD is to set the bitrate too high. For replicated discs, many sources recommend a maximum bitrate of 8mbps, or for DVD-R's (like your computer makes) - 6.5mbps. And yet another mistake - that maximum bitrate is for BOTH audio + video!!!!

Also, make sure to use PCM, AC3 soundtracks. Don't use Mpeg-2 audio, it doesn't work in most players!

See, this is all the ins-and-outs that you NEED to know. Many software programs will guide you through the process, but you still have to know that if you don't use the correct settings, the output will simply be anything from not playing, to wrong aspect ratio even skipping or other weird things.

As for hardware - there is 3 components that have the most effect on a system: CPU, memory, and Hard drive.

CPU - the faster/more cores, the better. The new intel i7's are getting great benchmarks.

Memory - Need as much as you can get and as fast as it can be.

HDD - Need as fast as it can be. SATA300 is about the minimum, but you can also use firewire 800. last choice would be USB2.0. Spinups - 7200rpm. 10k Raptors will be quicker. 5400rpms on notebook drives are slooooow.

Also, consider monitor. If you're working with HD, why view it on anything less than HD? I am using a 24" Westinghouse with 1920x1200 native res, and as a secondary, a projector with 1080 support (but actually 1400x1050 native res). That means I can REALLY preview what I'm working on and see how it looks not only on my LCD, but projected too.

Hope some of this helps.

 

[duder23]

try buying a computer thats over 1000 dollars

with my macbook i can render and edit in hd no problem, dvds burn smoothly and its only a couple hundred more dollars.... id say save a few extra bucks and upgrade yourself to a machine thats worth buying... not something off the best buy bargain shelf

 

[Dutchboy]

try buying a computer thats over 1000 dollars

with my macbook i can render and edit in hd no problem, dvds burn smoothly and its only a couple hundred more dollars.... id say save a few extra bucks and upgrade yourself to a machine thats worth buying... not something off the best buy bargain shelf

You don't run into problems with hard drive space?

 

[EvsFX08]

Have you thought about building your own? I built my own turnkey for about $600. It has 4 Hard Drives (this is in another Thread), 4GB of RAM, Athlon 3.2GHZ (if I remember correctly) Dual Core, Firewire, 512MB Graphics card and the Motherboard bus speed was as high as it could go a year ago. I could give you the actual specs on everything, I'd just have to break out the manuals and all. But, the only add-ons I did after that was to add little fans for the RAM DIMMS, a larger Power supply, and some expensive copper cooling CPU fan that takes up quite a bit of space. I had a Hard drive crash on my previous computer (which prompted me to upgrade to this configuration). Convincing Microsoft to allow me to transfer my Windows license to the new motherboard, CPU, and basically new computer was a little difficult, but as I told them, physically it's in the same computer (case), just new parts. The only thing I'm lacking is a Dual graphics card for two monitors, but I'm still using an 8 year old CRT monitor, not an LCD or anything. I've been building my own computers since 2000, but I tell you Dell has even made me lazy, it's easier to have Dell build me a computer. Now, I would love to buy an Eidus or one of those other commercial turnkeys, but for starters, you can always build your own. I have no issues running any Adobe, Sony, or other applications on my own computer. All parts also came from TigerDirect.

 

[M1chae1]

Here is my brand new system...

On top of the list below, I've added a 750W PSU (which you'd need), as well as an aftermarket heatsink. All in all, this baby is under $1000 and will run like a beaut.

If you are editing, I advice you up the harddrive situation, as well as upgrade to the full 8 gigs of RAM the MB supports. The total should be around $1300.



x ($189.99) CPU INTEL|C2Q Q6600 2.40G 775 8M R - Retail
$189.99





1 x ($99.99) CASE RAIDMAX|ATX-612WEBP BK 500W RT - Retail
$99.99





1 x ($129.99) MB EVGA 122-YW-E173-TR 775 750I SLI - Retail
$129.99





1 x ($184.99) VGA EVGA 512-P3-N879-AR 9800GTX+ RT - Retail
$184.99





1 x ($66.99) MEM 2Gx2|OCZ DII800 OCZ2RPR800C44GK - Retail
$66.99





1 x ($74.99) HD 640G|WD 7K 16M WD6400AAKS % - OEM
$74.99



Good luck.

 

[duder23]

i use an external hd.... 1 terabyte babay!! it runs a lot smoother than i thought too.... saves to the external just as fast as my built in hd... i suggest no matter what computer you get you should get an external hd.... the only thing on my hd is editing programs and music.... so my computer still runs fast as hell

 

[duder23]

but i like m1chae1s idea.... the machine he suggested sounds like.... well it sounds badass!!

much more work....but worth it.... sounds like for the same price you could have a computer thats 4x more powerful than mine....

i think im actually going to look into making one of those....

 

[WideShot]

Michael, If I were building just an editing computer I would replace the 9800GTX+ for anything else. You only need the 3d horsepower for gaming, not for editing. Additionally, the Mobo does not need SLI support, as I imagine the furthest thing from any editors mind would be using two video cards in SLI. Instead of spending money on either of those, why not get more future proof by going with an i920 ($289 on NewEgg) and 4GB of DDR3 for $99?

BTW it may be easier to have Dell or Apple build you a computer but as soon as you start talking about trendy peripherals or performance components their margin of profit goes through the roof. They do a good job of building daily internet surfing computers for relatively cheap but besides that its all brand name.

 

[EvsFX08]

BTW it may be easier to have Dell or Apple build you a computer but as soon as you start talking about trendy peripherals or performance components their margin of profit goes through the roof. They do a good job of building daily internet surfing computers for relatively cheap but besides that its all brand name.

True, but if a person is just starting out learning how to edit video, an inexpensive Dell will do just fine. By the time the person gets good at editing and figuring out exactly what he/she wants to do (edit or edit and VXF) technology will be a little different and cheaper, and by that time they'll know exactly what they want in a computer. But for basic learning and just starting out, why spend thousands of dollars now on a computer that will not be used at it's full potential for a while. IMO it's like buying a NASCAR stock car to learn how to drive, sure it's still driving, but you won't need all the gadgets and horsepower when first learning. I'd rather spend the money on tutorials and classes to get better at editing and compositing. But again, this is just my opinion, I'm known to do things ass backwards anyway.